Heel brace



April 27, 194s.

F. A. MELCHIONNA HEELBRACE Filed April 2d, 1946 INVEN TOR.

Banfi H Mel ehionna @I5/@WWW HTTX Patented Apr. 27, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT o'FFIcE HEEL BRACE Frank A. Melchionna, Cincinnati, ()hio Application April'ZO, 1946, SeralNo. 663,675

(Cl. Sti-76) 2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to means for shoe repairs and particularly to a brace for high heels -on shoes.

An object of the invention is to provide a repair heel brace that is rapidly and economically produced and is easily applied to provide -a neat and very secure fastening of a high heel on a shoe.

A further object of the invention is to provide a repair heel brace that is light and strong, yet easily modified to conform to the individual shoe by the repairman without danger of breakage or weakening of the brace.

These and other important objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a ragmental side elevational view 0f a shoe with a Cuban heel and having a heel brace of the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the heel brace of Fig. l, detached from the shoe.

Fig. 3 isa view of the device of Fig. 2 but turned to an angle of 180.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the device of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a heel brace of the invention as adapted to use on French heels.

Fig. '7 is a top plan View oi' the sheet metal blank for the braces of Figs. 4 and 6.

Fig. 8 is an end elevational view of the blank of Fig. 7.

The use of metal heel repair braces for shoes with high heels is known. I-Ieretofore the known and used heel braces have been made of relatively heavy gauge sheet carbon steel, with salient curved prongs on one end, the braces being hardened or tempered and'then painted a selected color. Such braces are centrally ribbed and transversely dished. They present numenous disadvantages both in the application and to the wearer of the shoe. 'Ihe disadvantages 'are that the hardened braces may crack or may lose the temper when hammered by the repairman to accommodate them to the angle of the heel breast and shoe shank; the paint is knocked oil and the end prongs scratch the shoe shank on the exposed part of the shank; furthermore the heel breast and shoe shank contact practically only the lateral edges of the dished brace so that the latter may cut into the shank of the shoe particularly if the latter is very thin or made of inferior material.

The aforementioned and other diiculties are eliminated by the use of heel repair braces of the present invention and in addition provision is made for greater strength and security in the afxed heel brace using a less costly and slightly lighter brace.

The heel braces of the invention; for both 1rench and/Cuban types of heels (see Figs. 4 and 6) are stamped and formed from identical blanks i6 of mild sheet metal, said blanks Ill being made by the rst of two operations required to make the completed braces from sheet or strip stock. Itis to be noted that I am able to successfully ernploy a lighter gauge metal than is possible in the manufacture 0i the presently known hardened heel braces.

The blank Ill (Figs. 7 and 8) is formed speedily and in quantity by a combined stamping and punching operation to provide in one piece a shape which is a development of the finished brace including laterally extending wings II which terminate at a distance from the saliently curved rear end I2 and the reentrantly curved front end I 3. The metal of wings II is in the nal operation, folded inwardly over the top (or concealed) face ofk the blank I2 along dashed fold lines lil to provide smooth, rounded lateral edges :I5 on the finished brace and to provide relatively flat and extended seating margins I6 for seating `against the heel breast l1 and shoe shank I8 of a shoe such as I9.

It will be noted that the blank Ill has punched nail holes 2l] surrounded by integral raised bosses 2| on the top or concealed side of the blank and provided on the opposite face with countersinks 22 for the reception of nail heads v23 (see Figs. 1 and 5). The edges of the wings VI I are notched out at 2-3 so that when said wings are turned and folded over onto the body of the nished heel braces such as 26 (Figs. l and 4) or 21 (Fig. 6) the bosses 2l kshall stand up free within the notches. Holes 20 are disposed relatively close to the respective fold lines on which the edges I5 o1 the brace are formed and these holes are aligned in pairs relatively toward the forward or reentrantly curved end I3. Aligned with holes 20 and set inwardly of end I3 at an appreciable distance are nail holes 26 countersunk deeply at 29 so that on the face of the heel brace opposite said countersinks the metal protrudes and is split to form prongs 30 around holes 28.

Adjacent the rear or outwardly curved end I2 is a nail hole 3l and a pair of nail holes 32 diagonally spaced and staggered with relation to each other and to end hole 3l. Notches 33 in wings l I are related to holes 32 in the same manner as notches 24 are related to holes 2|) so that bosses 35 surrounding said holes are cleared Iby the notches 33 in the nished brace (see Fig. 3).

The blank I with the aforedescribed notched wings and the bossed nail holes therein results, as aforementioned, from the rst machine stamp and punch operation. The second or nal operation serves to form a longitudinal rib 36 in the blank, turn and fold wings Il along lines I4 onto the body of the blank and form the piece into an angle brace by transversely bending the piece as shown by a continuous compound folding and bending die operation, the details of which form no part of the present invention. The dies may be arranged to produce a curved bend as at 3l (Fig. 6) to turn out heel braces that are initially adapted to use on French heels, or said dies may be arranged to produce a relatively sharp angular bend as at 38 (Fig. 4) to produce heel braces suited to use on Cuban heels.

It should be noted however that a repairman having only the braces 21 at hand can easily convert them to braces for Cuban heels by a few correctly directed strokes of his hammer.

The entire brace can be worked to conform to the distinctive contour of the shoe shank and to the heel breast which may be at different angles in different shoes.

In applying the brace 2e or 2l to a shoe, the top leaf is laid on the shank of the shoe and the depending leaf has the hole 3| centered on the breast of the heel. If the initial angle of the brace is considerably different from the angle of the shoe parts to which it is to be applied, this difference can be remedied by a few preliminary strokes of the hammer without any danger of cracking the reenforced turned edges of the metal. The brace is then forced into the angle of the heel breast with a wedging action, the prongs 3i] serving to prevent slippage in the reverse direction and to hold the brace wedged into place during the insertion of nails 23 in the several nail holes. If desired, wood screws (not shown) may Abe used in lieu of nails to fasten the depending leaf to the breast of the wooden heel, but nails, clinched inside the shoe in known manner are used on the top leaf. The heads of all nails and screws are countersunk eXteriorly. Any scratches or mars on the shoe shank left by prongs will be covered up by the projecting metal of end I3. This produces a neat end result in contrast with the unsightly scratches that remain exposed from the movement of extended end prongs on the previously known hardened metal braces.

The marginal faces I6 on both leaves of the brace afford a rin seat which conforms easily to the shoe parts under hammer blows of the repairman. The fastening nails are easily driven flush in the surrounding countersinks and the shanks of the nails have ample support in the concealed nail bosses 2| etc. By assuring a rmer and more extensive seating of the brace on the shoe parts the nail fastenings are rendered more secure and the heel, thus braced, is constantly forced tightly on its seat and resists displacement or loosening even under the most unusual hard usage. The soft bright metal may be suitably colored with known dye products in the art after the job is nished Whereas the hardened metals in the previously known braces must be painted before hand and the paint is marred by the hammer blows. Hasty repairs do not admit of a repaint job and the dye products will not adhere to the hardened metal.

Reduced cost of manufacture, greater ease of application and stronger and neater repair are effected with the devices of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A heel repair brace comprising a body of thin mild sheet steel bent intermediate its longitudinal ends to provide angularly related leaves, a continuous integral wing on each side of the body and notched at intervals on its free edge and terminating at a distance from the free ends of the leaves, said wings turned inwardly onto the bodies of said leaves and forming straight reenforced side edges for said leaves and raised perforated bosses extending through said body within said notches, one of said leaves adapted for conforming to the shank of a shoe and provided with punched holes providing split prongs disposed at a distance from the free end of said wing.

2. A mild steel heel repair bracket comprising a pair of integral, angularly related leaves, and an integral raised reenforcing rib disposed longitudinally of said leaves and terminating at its opposite ends a distance from the free ends of said leaves, one of said leaves constituting a depending leaf having countersunk fastener receiving holes at its end and on opposite sides of said rib, the other of said leaves constituting an upper leaf having near its opposite edges and at a distance from the end of the leaf a pair of countersunk fastener receiving perforations surrounded, on the face opposite the countersinks, by pointed prongs integral with the leaf, the side edges of the bracket being folded over to provide straight edges along said leaves and providing marginal folded reenforcing margins, which are substantially coextensive in length with said rib and on the body face opposite the rib, said margins being notched along the edges, said leaves having bosses struck from said Ibody into the notches and perforated for the reception of fastening members.

FRANK A. MELCHIONNA.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,982,974 Reynolds June 8, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date l ,29,359 France Apr. 21, 1925 176,704 Great Britain Mar. 16, 1922 

